It’s the season of plenty again, in the stores and along the shopping aisles. Colorful merchandise and wrappings beckon, creatively assembled gift packs tempt, even as gifts to oneself.

But amidst the bustle, the vicissitudes of daily life continue.

Tv ads touting easy loans blare louder. Calling out to those whose salary and money cannot stretch any further, but who do not want to be left out of the merriment.

Overheard at the cashier counter at Walmart. A pregnant woman tells her little son holding a packet of cookies. “We can’t have that. I don’t have enough money.”

Overheard at the next aisle in Target. A woman talking on her cell phone. “Dad, I’ve taken out a restraining order against him.”

And there are those who dream of an invitation to someone’s home, but know they will eat the holiday meal alone.

At this time of the year, as the cold winds blow stronger, swirling around the night shoppers, there is a corresponding intensity of the expectations and limitations of one’s life.

Thus, at this time of year, there is a greater need for the two qualities that have buttressed people through all the seasons. Kindness, to others and especially to oneself, and resilience to weather the twists and turns of life.